Australian Shepherd

The Australian Shepherd is a herding ranch dog developed on the west coast of the United States in the 19th century. They are descended from European herding breeds that lived with the Basque people in the Pyrenees Mountains of France and Spain. These Basque shepherds immigrated to Australia with their dogs and bred them with border collies and other herding breeds. These dogs eventually made their way to California, where local ranchers assumed these Basque dogs were native to Australia hence the name Australian Shepherd. They weigh 35 to 70 pounds and live 13 to 15 years.

Aussie Shepards are popular on the rodeo circuit and sometimes used to herd rodeo bulls. Aussie Shepherd coats come in various patterns, including shades of blue, black, and red, sometimes with white and copper flashes on the face, ears, legs, and tail. They have a genetic condition called heterochromia that results in two different eye colors. Sometimes they have two different colors in the same eye. Native Americans called the Aussie Shepherds “ghost eye” and believed they could see heaven with one eye and earth with the other. They are brilliant and love having a job to do. Flyball, Frisbee games, and herding trail are just some of the events they will excel at. One Aussie Shepherd named Hyper Hank was a multiple Frisbee Competition Champion and even performed at the Super Bowl and the White House. They herd almost anything, including birds, kids, and other dogs. Aussie Shepherds have a waterproof double-layer coat that must be raked during shedding season. Being a herding breed, they tend to be quick to bark, but their intelligence allows for easy training to manage excessive barking.